Waterbed mattress with air cushion

ABSTRACT

A waterbed mattress includes a vinyl watertight water bladder covered by an inflatable air cushion. In one embodiment, the top of the bladder forms the bottom surface of the air cushion, although the bottom surface of the air cushion may also be a separate sheet of vinyl. In either event, the air cushion is composed of two layers of vinyl, sealed around the edges. These layers are also sealed together at a number of locations inside the periphery of the air cushion and the air cushion is partially inflated to give the top of the mattress a soft, pillowy appearance. The air cushion layers are optionally sealed together to form separate zones which may be inflated varying amounts. Although it is preferred that the zones be inflated with air, some of the zones can be filled with water instead. The seals in the air cushion define numerous paths for air to flow under the user. When inflated a sufficient amount, the air cushion provides an insulating layer between the bladder of the waterbed mattress and the user. In addition to the air cushion, the mattress may further include an inflatable air bladder, either inside the vinyl bladder of the waterbed mattress or between the air cushion and the vinyl bladder, to provide additional support in predetermined areas, such as the lumbar area. An inflation valve for the watertight bladder passes through the air cushion and the air cushion is completely sealed circumferentially about the inflation valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to waterbed mattresses and moreparticularly to a waterbed mattress with an air cushion top.

The advantages and benefits of waterbeds over conventional beds iswell-known. There have, however, heretofore been some perceiveddisadvantages of waterbed mattresses which have reduced the acceptanceof waterbeds. For example, many waterbed mattresses heretofore have beenconstructed with a flat, upper surface made of a single sheet of vinyl.This single sheet tended to conform closely to the body of the user sothat it sometimes became difficult for the user's skin to breathe.Perspiration often resulted.

Furthermore, since water is a fairly good conductor or heat, it hasproved desirable with standard waterbed mattresses to have a heater tokeep the water in the mattress at a suitably high temperature compatiblewith the needs of a human body. Otherwise, the unheated mattress tendedto conduct so much heat away from the human body that the user becameuncomfortable.

The standard waterbed mattress also could be improved in appearance. Thesingle vinyl top sheet of these mattresses is rather plain and flat inappearance, even with a pattern embossed thereon. Conventionalmattresses, on the other hand, traditionally have a tufted or quiltedappearance which people find attractive.

Most waterbed mattresses can be adjusted in firmness by adjusting theamount of water in the mattress bladder. But this firmness is the samethroughout the mattress. It would be desirable to be able to adjust thecomfort of various zones of the mattress, such as the head zone and thelumbar zone, to accommodate the preferences of various users. Moreover,adjusting the amount of water in a waterbed mattress is not a trivialmatter. Typically it requires the use of hoses and a ready supply ofwater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the various objects and features of the present invention may benoted the provision of an improved waterbed mattress in which thecomfort and firmness may be readily and simply adjusted without thepossibility of spilling any water.

Another object is the provision of such a waterbed mattress whichprovides an air flow underneath the user so that the user's skin canbreathe and undue perspiration does not develop.

A third object is the provision of such a waterbed mattress which insome embodiments eliminates the need for a heater.

A fourth object is the provision of such a waterbed mattress with animproved appearance.

A fifth object is the provision of such a waterbed mattress withseparately adjustable zones.

A sixth object is the provision of such a waterbed mattress withincreased versatility.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

Briefly, in its broadest aspect a waterbed mattress of the presentinvention includes a vinyl watertight bladder for holding water, whichwatertight bladder has a top, a bottom, and sides when filled withwater, and an inflatable air cushion disposed on the top of the vinylwatertight bladder and secured thereto. The air cushion extendsgenerally the length and breadth of the top of the vinyl watertightbladder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction ofthe waterbed mattress of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the waterbed mattress of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale with parts brokenfor clarity, of the waterbed mattress of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan of the waterbed mattress of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan of an alternative embodiment of the waterbedmattress of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale with parts brokenaway for clarity, of the waterbed mattress of FIG. 1, illustrating onepossible configuration of the mattress;

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation similar to FIG. 6 illustrating secondpossible configuration of the mattress;

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation similar to FIG. 6 illustrating theinsulating layer effect in the mattress of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation, similar to FIG. 6, showing anotheralternative embodiment of the waterbed mattress of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation, similar to FIG. 6, illustrating athird possible configuration of the mattress;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale with parts broken awayfor clarity, of the mattress of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 12 is an exploded view, with parts broken away for clarity, of afurther embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional elevation, illustrating another possibleconfiguration of the mattress of the present invention.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning to the drawings and more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, awaterbed mattress 11 of the present invention includes a vinylwatertight bladder 13 for holding water. Except as noted below, bladder13 is of standard waterbed mattress construction. The watertight bladder13 has a top 15, a bottom 17, and sides 19 when filled with waterthrough a water inflation valve 21 (valve 21 is also of standardconstruction).

The mattress also includes an inflatable air cushion 23 disposed on thetop 15 of bladder 13. Air cushion 23 is formed in combination with top15 by a single sheet 25 of vinyl which is secured to top 15 by radiofrequency sealing completely around the periphery of the air cushion(Alternatively, air cushion 23 is formed from two separate sheets ofvinyl ) Since sheet 25 is substantially the same length and breadth asbladder 13, this forms an airtight air cushion covering the entire topof the waterbed mattress Sheet 25 includes an orifice 26 foraccommodating the bladder inflation valve 21.

Thus, the air cushion 23 is formed of two layers, one of which isoptionally top 15 of bladder 13.

In addition to the peripheral seal, vinyl sheet 25 is sealed to bladdertop 15 at a plurality of locations 27 inside the periphery of the aircushion. These seals 27 do not divide the air cushion into separateairtight regions, but instead merely tack down sheet 25 to bladder top15 at a plurality of locations. Although these seals are shown in FIG. 2as having a circular shape, other shapes, such as "diamond" shapes, arealso acceptable. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3, when air cushion23 is partially inflated with air, this tacked construction results in asoft, pillow-like or tufted appearance for the waterbed mattress as awhole. Because the air cushion is only partially inflated, vinyl sheet25 between tacks is uneven, which provides a very soft "look" tomattress 11. This appearance is greatly superior to that of a plainvinyl sheet, yet is achieved merely with only two sheets of vinyl andair.

In addition to providing a pleasing appearance, seals 27 provide aplurality of paths 29 (FIG. 4) for the movement of air from place toplace in the air cushion.

In addition to the seals mentioned above, mattress 11 may haveadditional seals (such as seal 33 and seals 35 and 37 shown in FIG. 5)which divide air cushion 23 into separate, individually airtight zones,each with its own air inflation valve 39. Seal 33, which extendslongitudinally the length of mattress 11, divides air cushion 23 intotwo completely separated zones 41, 43. This "his and her" constructionis especially desirable since it efficiently provides the capability ofindividual comfort adjustment for both users of a regular size bed.

Seals 35 and 37 (shown in phantom) can be added to further subdivideeach side of the mattress of FIG. 5 into a head zone, a lumbar zone, anda foot zone. None that subdividing the mattress in this way allows forindividual adjustment of the firmness of each zone without requiring anyadditional material other than the inflation valves 39 for each zone.

Use of the zone construction of FIG. 5 provides tremendous versatilityto mattress 11. For example, in FIG. 6, one of the zones, labelled 45 isat least partially inflated while another zone 47 is completelydeflated. In FIG. 7, one of the zones, labelled 49 is at least partiallyfilled with air and another zone 51 is at least partially filled withwater. It should be appreciated that these differences in inflationresult in dramatic differences in the "feel" of mattress 11 from zone tozone, as desired by the user.

It should also be noted (see FIG. 8), that the structure of FIG. 1, witha multitude of seals 27, provide a plurality of air paths 53 beneath auser lying on the mattress 11. These paths are not available in standardwaterbed mattresses, which tend to conform more closely to the body ofthe user. Paths 53 provide ventilation for the skin of the user and tendto reduce the possibility of perspiration.

Also shown in FIG. 8 is an insulating layer 55 formed by the air cushionbetween a user and bladder 13. This insulating layer is formed when theair cushion is inflated sufficiently to suspend the user away from thewater bladder It greatly reduces the heat lost by the user's body due toconduction to the water in bladder 13. As a result no heater is neededin mattress 11 to keep the water at any particular temperature when aircushion 23 is sufficiently inflated.

FIG. 9 illustrates yet another embodiment of mattress 11. In thisembodiment, an air inflated bladder 57 is disposed inside vinyl bladder13 to provide additional support in a predetermined area, such as thelumbar area. Bladder 57 is inflated to a desired firmness through aninflation valve 59 which extends through top 15 and air cushion 23. Airbladder 57 is fixed in position with respect to the vinyl watertightbladder by radio frequency sealing or the like. (See FIG. 12 for analternative construction of a mattress with such an additional bladder.)

It is not necessary for the various zones of mattress 11 to all have thesame height when fully inflated For example, in FIG. 10 a head zone 59when fully inflated as shown is higher that a lumbar support zone 61.Although these maximum measures are set by the manufacture of mattress11, the user can vary each downwardly to zero, if desired.

Turning to FIG. 11, it can be seen that inflation valve 21 extendsthrough orifice 26 in sheet 25. Sheet 25 is sealed by a radio frequencyseal 63 which extends circumferentially about the inflation valve. Thisparticular construction provides an airtight air cushion 23 whileallowing easy access to inflation valve(s) 21.

Turning to FIG. 12, watertight water bladder 13 is shown in combinationwith an alternative lumbar support/air cushion construction. The aircushion 23A in this construction is made of two sheets of vinyl sealedtogether along the periphery and an numerous interior points 27A. Notethat the interior seals 27A in this construction are diamond-shaped. Asingle air valve 39A (smaller in size than the water valve 21 of thewatertight bladder so as to prevent confusion between the two) isdisposed at the foot of air cushion 23A to allow the air cushion to beinflated the desired amount.

Disposed between the air cushion and the water bladder is a lumbarsupport 57A having a pair of inflation valves 59A. Lumbar support 57A issealed to water bladder 13 along three lines 71, 73, 75, the middle ofwhich seals separates the lumbar support into two independentlyinflatable portions Lumbar support, as shown, extends the entire widthof the mattress.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is similar to those described above. Itdiffers, however, in that the air cushion, labelled 23A, is composed oftwo layers of vinyl, sealed around the edges. Air cushion 23A is securedto the top of vinyl watertight bladder 13. The topmost layer of aircushion 23A is sealed to the other layer of the air cushion at aplurality of locations inside the periphery of the air cushion. One isshown as seal 27A in FIG. 13.

In view of the above it will be seen that the various objects andfeatures of the invention are achieved and other advantageous resultsobtained The examples contained herein are merely illustrative and arenot intended in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A waterbed mattress comprising:a vinyl watertightbladder for holding water, said watertight bladder having a top, abottom, and sides when filled with water; and an inflatable air cushiondisposed on the top of the vinyl watertight bladder and secured thereto,said air cushion extending generally the length and breadth of the topof the vinyl watertight bladder, said air cushion being of a sizesufficient to totally support a supine user; said air cushion beingcomposed of at least two layers of vinyl, the topmost layer of the aircushion being sealed by relatively small, discontinuous seals to anotherlayer of the air cushion at a plurality of locations inside theperiphery of the air cushion, a relatively small fraction of the totalarea of the topmost layer of the air cushion being taken up by saidsmall, discontinuous seals, said another layer of the air cushion beingphysically secured to the bottom of the watertight bladder onlyindirectly by means of the sides of the watertight bladder.
 2. Thewaterbed mattress as set forth in claim 1 wherein said topmost layer andsaid another layer define a plurality of paths for the movement of airfrom place to place in the air cushion.
 3. The waterbed mattress as setforth in claim 1 wherein said air cushion is composed of two layers ofvinyl, sealed around the edges, said air cushion composed of two layersof vinyl being secured to the top of the vinyl watertight bladder.
 4. Awaterbed mattress comprising:a vinyl watertight bladder for holdingwater, in said watertight bladder having a top, a bottom, and sides whenfilled with water; and an inflatable air cushion disposed on the top ofthe vinyl watertight bladder and secured thereto, said air cushionextending generally the length and breadth of the top of the vinylwatertight bladder, said air cushion being composed of at least twolayers of vinyl, the topmost layer of the air cushion being sealed toanother layer of the air cushion at a plurality of locations inside theperiphery of the air cushion, said another layer of the air cushionbeing physically secured to the bottom of the watertight bladder onlyindirectly by means of the sides of the watertight bladder; said aircushion being partially inflated an amount sufficient to give the top ofthe waterbed mattress a soft, pillow-like appearance and feel.
 5. Awaterbed mattress comprising:a vinyl watertight bladder for holdingwater, said watertight bladder having a top, a bottom, and sides whenfilled with water; and an inflatable air cushion disposed on the top ofthe vinyl watertight bladder and secured thereto, said air cushionextending generally the length and breadth of the top of the vinylwatertight bladder, said air cushion being composed of at least twolayers of vinyl, the topmost layer of the air cushion being sealed toanother layer of the air cushion at a plurality of locations inside theperiphery of the air cushion; at least some of the seals being disposedto divide the air cushion into zones, at least some of the zones beingcompletely separated from all other zones, further including a separateinflation valve for each completely separated zone.
 6. The waterbedmattress as set forth in claim 5 wherein the seals divide the aircushion into two completely separated zones of substantially equal sizedisposed longitudinally of the waterbed mattress.
 7. The waterbedmattress as set forth in claim 5 wherein at least one of the completelyseparated zones is at least partially inflated and at least one of thecompletely separated zones is completely deflated.
 8. The waterbedmattress as set forth in claim 5 wherein at least one of the completelyseparated zones is at least partially inflated with air and at least oneof the completely separated zones is at least partially filled withwater.
 9. A waterbed mattress comprising:a vinyl watertight bladder forholding water, said watertight bladder having a top, a bottom, and sideswhen filled with water; and an inflatable air cushion disposed on thetop of the vinyl watertight bladder and secured thereto, said aircushion extending generally the length and breadth of the top of thevinyl watertight bladder; said air cushion being divided intoindependently inflatable zones.
 10. The waterbed mattress as set forthin claim 9 wherein the height of the air cushion varies from zone tozone when the zones are fully inflated.